Recently, the buzz around markdown has grown — it’s a straightforward language geared towards crafting web-friendly text.
Upon delving into markdown, I discovered its simplicity and user-friendliness, which allows content creators to draft stellar web articles minus the hassle of HTML.
With markdown, not only is your article cleaner, but it also becomes more accessible for readers, as it can be understood without needing a web browser to display it.
Markdown Fundamentals
To begin writing in markdown is to embrace the epitome of simplicity:
Emphasizing Your Words
To italicize, wrap your text in a single asterisk:
*somewhat important text*
The result is:
somewhat important text.
For bold emphasis, two asterisks are your friend:
**really important text.**
Which renders as:
really important text.
Creating Headlines
Headings are as easy as prefixing your line with hash symbols, reflecting the hierarchy from <h1> to <h6>:
# Major heading
## Secondary heading
### Tertiary heading
#### Fourth-level heading
##### Fifth-level heading
###### Smallest subheading
Crafting Paragraphs
Paragraphs flow naturally — just write and hit enter twice for a new stanza:
First paragraph
Second stanza begins
A direct conversion is:
<p>First paragraph</p>
<p>Second stanza begins</p>
Quoting Wisely
To quote, an angle bracket (>) precedes the text in question:
> This was said by someone in the past
Equates to:
<blockquote>
<p>This was said by someone in the past</p>
<blockquote>
Hyperlinking Effortlessly
Links are a cinch — place the visual text in brackets followed by the URL in parentheses:
[Webdesigner Haven](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com)
Corresponds to:
<a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com">Webdesigner Haven</a>
Image Embedding
For images, include an exclamation point before the brackets that hold your alt text, followed by the URL in parentheses:
Visually:
<img src="http://example.com/image.jpg" alt="Descriptive image text" />
Unordered Lists Made Simple
For bullet points, asterisks mark each new item:
* Item one
* Item two
* Item three
This translates to:
<ul>
<li>Item one</li>
<li>Item two</li>
<li>Item three</li>
<ul>
Numerical Listing
Numbered lists are straightforward — replace asterisks with numbers:
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third on the list
Echoes as:
<ol>
<li>First item</li>
<li>Second item</li>
<li>Third on the list</li>
<ol>
Final Thoughts
Markdown shines as a reliable companion for web content producers who aren’t HTML wizards, streamlining online content creation. You can even find a WordPress Plugin to switch from markdown to HTML in your posts and comments.
Has markdown enhanced your writing process, offering an edge over traditional markup techniques? Share your experience in the comments below.
Thumbnail image via Shutterstock.
